Redemption
by Neko Suzu
Summary: Knives. Ahem! Life is giving, but nothing is for free. With everything given something else is taken away. So what will you lose when life decides to give you a second chance? Language, violence, death, adult content
1. BEASTs

(A/N) A dark brown haired girl, with green eyes and glasses pokes her head around the corner. "Hi! My names *censored* I've recently been struck with an idea for a Trigun fic and well . Oh, no! I'm getting the urge to write!" With a loud pop and a cloud of smoke she disappears. When the smoke clears we see a tall black cat woman, dressed in a green strapless mini dress, with green bands tied around her neck right wrist and left thigh each sporting a golden bell. She has long wavy black hair and green eyes. "Hey there! I'm Neko Suzu! *Censored*'s alter ego! You see whenever she gets the urge to write I pop up and do it for her. You see she's not very creative (pause). Any way, this is my/our second Trigun fic, and it's mainly about Knives (the first was about Legato). We will eventually get around to writing something about Vash, but not till this one's done since it will follow the events of this story."  
  
"Unfortunately only being the Prologue our beloved Trigun cast won't be showing up till Part One." "Now on with the story!" She jumps up and all her bells jingle loudly.  
  
Disclaimer: a) I do not, nor will I ever own Trigun (despite great hopes) and its characters. b) I do not make any money off of this. I don't have any either.  
  
*I do however own certain characters and places. All of which should be  
blatantly obvious.*  
  
Redemption  
  
By Neko Suzu  
  
Edited by Medatsu  
(From MediaMiner.org)  
  
Prologue: B.E.A.S.T.s  
  
Deep in the desert surrounded on all sides by rock formations, is a place few people know of. This small stone building posed as a homestead seems innocent enough, but we all know that appearances can be deceiving. For deep within the sandy earth is an A.X.I.S. Complex, and it's not the only one. The planet is littered with them. Each one locked in its'own pursuit of knowledge. One to the West studies agriculture, another to the south, plant biology, and yet another to the Northeast, climatology. However this complex' purpose is not so noble. For it is host to what has been named the B.E.A.S.T. project.  
  
Deep within the complex in fare sized lounge, a tall thickly built, white haired man of fifty-one pours himself a cup of coffee. He is dressed in a dark green military uniform. Clipped to the breast pocket is an ID tag, which reads:  
  
Name: Colonel R. Mannick  
Project Station: Co. Director  
Security Clearance: Level 1  
  
The door of the lounge slides open allowing a mid-height, red haired women of no more than thirty-four to enter. She is dressed in a white lab coat over a pair of black dress pants and a naive turtleneck. Her ID tag reads:  
  
Name: Dr. S. Pierce  
Project Station: Behavioral Studies  
Security Clearance: Level 2  
  
"Good morning Susan." The Colonel says.  
  
"Good morning Ross." She replies "Your in an awfully good mood this morning."She takes a mug from the cupboard and fills it with coffee.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" He says with a military smile, "The bored has approved further funding for the project, and the latest test results have be spectacular. What's not to be happy about?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. I just thought you would be stressed out over today's filed test, like you usually are when we enter a new test faze." She says pouring milk in her coffee. She then looks up at him with a smile, which quickly fades before his dark look.  
  
"What field test?" He asks in low voice, his body rigid.  
  
"The open simulation in the Braxton ghost town." She says with worry, he only continues to stare. "It was on the test schedule this week. That's why it's so empty around here today. Haven't you noticed?"  
  
"Who approved this?" His voice is almost a growl. "I thought you did." "No, I didn't." He walks over to a small view screen by the lounge door. He flicks a switch and presses his thumb to a small gray pad. After a moment a computerized female voice comes on.  
  
"System six-nine-five is online. How may I help you Colonel Mannick?"  
  
"Bring up the files on today's field test."  
  
"One moment Colonel." The view screen emanates a soft beeping noise as it processes the request. The screen then lights up displaying the file. Tapping the corner of the screen he scrolls down the file. At the end there is a signature that reads:  
  
Colonel Kreg Shrouder  
  
"Dame you! I should have known." He says with furry.  
  
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In a dark conference room, a tall man of average build, with dark brown hair, and dressed in a green uniform, stands in front of several large screens. He pushes up the glasses on his face as he watches the screens. Several large and hairy animals are tearing apart some unidentifiable carcass in the middle of a massive metal room. Suddenly the conference room door bursts open revealing an enraged Colonel Mannick.  
  
"Shrouder! What in the hell do you think your doing going over my head?!" He bellows.  
  
The younger man looks surprised for a moment, but only for a moment. "Good morning Colonel Mannick. I'm glad you finally decided to join me."  
  
"You little punk!"  
  
"Now, now, Colonel simply because you didn't have the guts to take the initiative in this situation is no reason to become unreasonable."  
  
"You mean stupidity!"  
  
"The bored sees this as then next logical step in the program. Knowing you would only put it off they came to me."  
  
"You idiot, we have no idea how they'll react out in open! You could send this whole project in to disarray!" "Part of moving forward is taking risks Colonel!"  
  
"And the other part is looking before leap!"  
  
"If this had been left up to you this project wouldn't even be off the ground in fifty years! The bored wants progress, not promises." The two glare at each other in silence.  
  
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Else where, in the former town of Braxton the light of the five moons shines down upon the tattered remains of uniformed bodies. Some are still recognizable, while others have been mercilessly torn limb from limb, their blood staining the sandy earth. On a high dune of sand huge four legged, fur covered monsters loom in a massive mound. Their glowing yellow eyes piercing the night, and with blood drenched fangs let louse in a chorus of roaring-howls.  
  
Next: Four months have past since we last saw Vash and the Insurance girls. What has changed since then and what hasn't? But most importantly what will? Part One: Letter from the Dead  
  
(A/N) "OK!" The brown haired girl is back. "Now, important notes: (this is the easy stuff) There will be eight sections in this story, counting the Prologue and the Epilogue. Parts one through six will each be approximately eight pages long. So they're gonna take a while to write.  
  
"*Neko Suzu requires inspiration and motivation to write. Please help her by Reading and Reviewing.*  
  
"Also incase you were wondering what A.X.I.S stands for it's Advancement Experiments Important to Survival. But you'll have to wait to find out what B.E.A.S.T. stands for. Bye!" 


	2. Letter from the Dead

(A/N) Neko Suzu walks out. ^ ^ "Hey there!" waves "I'm baaaaaaack! And this is the next chapter. (Boy, do I ever like stating the obvious.) Hope it was worth the wait."  
  
"On with the show!" Flicks bell *Jingle*  
  
Disclaimer: a) I do not, nor will I ever own Trigun (despite great hopes) and its characters. b) I do not make any money off of this. I don't have any either.  
  
*I do however own certain characters and places. All of which should be blatantly obvious.*?  
  
Redemption  
  
By Neko Suzu  
  
Edited by Medatsu  
  
Part One: Letter from the Dead  
  
The suns shine brightly on the small town, the streets full of hustle and bustle. A familiar tall figure in blue jeans and a white button down shirt, with gravity-defying blond and black hair, strolls down the street, groceries in hand with a great big smile on his face. A small paper airplane flies through the air and becomes lodged in the man's ear.  
  
"Yikes!" the man jumps up, startled, and pulls it out as two small children come running up to him.  
  
"Mr. Vash can we please have our plane back?" Asks the little boy reaching his hands up expectantly.  
  
"Oh, this is yours? Sure, here you go." He gives them a big smile as he hands it to him.  
  
"Um, Mr. Vash..." The little girl says quietly as she looks down fidgeting with her dress.  
  
"Um hum?"  
  
"Will you come play with us?"  
  
"Yeah, but I have do some stuff first. So you go on without me and I'll catch up."  
  
"Kay." he waves as they run off down the street.  
  
'Well things seem to be going well.' He thinks, 'Haven't seen a bounty hunter in four months, Knives is still unconscious and the people here aren't afraid of me anymore. Maybe my life will stay peaceful and quiet for a change.' He stops on the porch of a brick house, just opening the door when.  
  
"Mr. VASH!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Milly dressed in overalls, a white shirt and head scarf, comes tearing down the street, dragging Meryl behind her. She stops, panting, and white faced in front of him holding an envelope in her hand.  
  
"What's going on, you look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
"Not quite" says Meryl straightening her blue skirt and white blouse, not looking much better than Milly. "Milly received a letter today from the insurance agency..."  
  
"It's for you, from Mr. Wolfwood!" She butts in.  
  
"What?! Wolfwood?!" Vash looks incredibly confused. "BUT HOW?!"  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine." Meryl shrugs.  
  
"I wonder why he sent it to the insurance agency? Have you opened it yet?" Milly shakes her head.  
  
"It's probably a fake. Someone's idea of a practical joke."  
  
"How could it be? Why would someone do something so horrible Meryl?"  
  
"And who would want to?"  
  
"Your brother for one." Vash looks away, hurt by her statement.  
  
"Well, we'll just have to find out." Milly says firmly ripping off one end of the envelope. She pulls out a folded piece of paper and gives it to Vash.  
  
He reluctantly unfolds it, remembering how he'd found Wolfwood's body. Leaning lifelessly on his cross. He takes a deep breath and begins to read it aloud.  
  
'Hey Vash, If you've received this, well, I must be dead. First of all this was my own fault, it was bound to happen anyway. So don't blame yourself, I mean it needle noggin! Secondly, I need a big favor. You remember the orphanage I told you about, out in the boonies near December? I need you to go there. The kids will need someone to look after them with me gone, and you love kids so much you seem like the best person for the job. Just think of this as the last wish of a dead man.' 'May you go with the love and protection of almighty God.' Nicholas D. Wolfwood  
  
"..." Vash looks at the letter as though not sure what to think.  
  
"Well, I better get packing. After all, December is awfully far away and we should get going as soon as possible." Milly heads into the house.  
  
"Hold on a second Milly!" Meryl has her by the arm, a worried look on her face. "This isn't something we can just rush into. We need to think about this."  
  
"Why? It's not like it's a dangerous situation, it's just a bunch of kids who need help." Meryl just looks at him and sighs.  
  
"You don't know that for sure! Besides, even if it isn't you're still overlooking something important here Vash."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Knives. Do you really want to expose a bunch of children to that vicious killer?"  
  
"It's not..." Vash looks more hurt then before. "I hadn't thought of that."  
  
"But Meryl, Mr. Knives is unconscious."  
  
"But for how long Milly? What if he wakes up there and goes on a rampage, what then?"  
  
"Well," she draws herself up to her full height "I have every confidence in Mr. Vash, after all he did stop Mr. Knives before. Besides we'll be there to help this time if he does try to hurt people again." She says, nodding and sounding as if this settled the matter. Vash looks at her with thanks on his face.  
  
"I don't know about this."  
  
Looking stern now, "Meryl it's for Mr. Wolfwood, and if my big sister taught me one thing it's that you always honor the wishes of the dead and dying. I'm going, and if the two of you want to come then fine. But don't try to talk me out of it." With that she disappears inside.  
  
Still smiling after her, "I have to say she has a point. I owe Wolfwood, even with my obligation to Knives." He moves to enter the house.  
  
"You've got to be kidding. What if he does wake up! And hurts those kids or hurts you again. What are you going to do, you won't kill him!"  
  
He looks back from the doorway. "I'll just have to be extra careful, that's all. But, I won't turn down help with this, if you don't mind tagging along."  
  
"*Big sigh* I can't believe I'm doing this." She states pushing past him and up the stairs.  
  
He smiles after her. "Thanks"  
  
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Later that day in the market, "Hey Vash, what's with all the supplies?" Asks a fairly round, middle-aged man in a hardware apron.  
  
"I'm leaving town for awhile, a friend needs me to do him a favor over in December." He says loading a bag with matches, lamp oil, rope and other survival supplies. "Hey, have you seen Bill? I want to buy that old Jeep he's been trying to sell."  
  
"Yeah, he's been over at the Bentley home a lot lately. I think he's doing a job for them.  
  
"Great, thanks a lot Arthur." He calls walking away with the bag of supplies and a large number of canteens slung over his shoulder.  
  
Later back at the house. "Here are the supplies Meryl."  
  
"Good. Did you get the Jeep?" Meryl is back in her traveling gear, and has a clipboard in her hands. She's standing next to a small mound of boxes and bags.  
  
"Yep. I got a good deal for it to." He says pulling the keys out of his pocket and jingling them. "Gee, I hope this is all going to fit." He rubs his neck looking quizzically at the mound.  
  
"It will, Milly has a knack for packing. Checklist time. Milly, bags?"  
  
"Got it," Milly calls as she emerges from the living room holding everyone's regular luggage "I mean, check Meryl."  
  
She walks outside with the bags, as a black cat pokes its head out of Vash's bag and lets out a "Niyaaaaa."  
  
"Water Vash?"  
  
"Check." He says walking out with all the canteens.  
  
This whole thing goes on for sometime as the kitchen is slowly emptied.  
  
"Good, just one last thing. ..."She looks at the stairs with worry still on her face "Knives." Both she and Milly had been wary of Knives ever since he had arrived. He woke up for a brief moment, and had grabbed hold of Meryl's throat. Luckily he was too exhausted and hurt to fight her struggles and passed out. Both of them didn't want to go near him after that, leaving only Vash to look after him.  
  
"I'll be out with him in a minute, you two go get settled in the car." Milly and Meryl go out as Vash climbs the stairs. Before he opens the door to Knives' room he looks down the now bare hall. The house had only two bedrooms on the second floor - he and knives shared the smaller, giving the larger to the girls - and a single bathroom. The first floor had a fair sized kitchen, and living room. It wasn't all that spacious or luxurious, but it was home. 'It's been a while since I've had the luxury of staying one place for so long.' He thinks as he enters and begins to collect Knives. 'Oh well, I knew it wouldn't last anyway.'  
  
Shortly he exits the house; Knives hung over his shoulder. Meryl deliberately avoids looking at them. Vash sets him in the front passenger side seat, buckles him in and then gets in the driver's seat. Starting the engine, he says a silent farewell to the town and the people he'd met as they drive off into the desert.  
  
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The suns set, the moons rise. In another place the silhouette of a woman runs through the desert, pursued by shadows of wild beasts. Her breath steady and strong she doesn't look back, only at the ground in front of her, knowing that if she stumbles or slows she will die. For beasts, know no mercy. But in her focus, she does not notice yet another beast, atop a ledge, along the wall above her. The beast takes no time and lunges, sinking its teeth into her shoulder, clawing at her back. A painful cry fills the night, but the fight isn't over yet. She grabs hold of the beast tearing it from her, flinging it aside. It lets out a yelp, slumping to the ground. Turning now she faces the onslaught of beasts bearing down on her. Iles away the howling of wild animals can be heard long into the night.  
  
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The suns soon rise flooding the world with light. Through the desert the bloodied figure of the woman trudges on. Wounds of crusted blood vary down her body from cuts and bruises on her face and arms to tearing and gouges in her back. Her black hair is sticking to her wounds. Her clothes are all but torn off her body, now unrecognizable as anything but rags. She's oblivious to her own pain, focusing on the next dune of sand. But shock only lasts so long, and when it wears off she loses her balance, trips, falling to the sands. A loud thud and the tinkle of metal are heard. As the dust clears the shine of a silver gun can be seen beneath her, the metal part of her black choker lying atop it, engraved with the word 'Laina'.  
  
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Through the whirling sands the hum of a car is heard as the tarp covered jeep comes into view. "Well this is it."  
  
"Really? How can you tell Mr. Vash? With all this sand flying everywhere how can you tell anything?" Milly had her usual curious and confused look on.  
  
"I can just sort of sense them, that's all."  
  
"You mean like ESP or something?"  
  
"Yeah, something like that."  
  
(Flash Back)  
  
He'd been a little worried when he told the girls he was a plant, considering some of the bad reactions he'd had to suffer through in the past.  
  
"I knew it! There was just no way that you were human with all those stunts you've pulled and lived through." was Meryl's reaction at first. Afterwards she was sort of upset about it for a few days; he had no idea why. And when he asked her if was still ok for him to be there, she shrugged it off with "Of course its ok, what are you talking about."  
  
Milly on the other hand took it really well. For weeks she persisted in asking him questions about what it was like being a plant. And now they seem to think nothing of it, just another strange day in the life of the Humanoid Typhoon, Vash The Stampede.  
  
(End Flash Back)  
  
"I still don't understand why you left it behind in the first place, Vash." States Meryl a little sour.  
  
"Well, at least it's on the way. I just hope no one else's found them. Or I'll never get it back." He tries to study the landscape, but can determine little in the sandstorm. 'Not that I ever wanted to hold a gun again, but I might need it.'  
  
He stops the car. "You two stay here. I don't need you getting lost in this." he heads round to the back and pulls a brown bundle out of the trunk.  
  
"What about you?" Meryl calls as he comes around the front. He now has a rope tied around his waist and a two holster gun belt on. He ties himself to the grid on the front of the jeep.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." He walks into the storm, pulling a brown tarp around himself.  
  
Twenty minutes later *thud* "Ouch! What the heck?" 'Oh, Wolfwood's cross. I'd forgotten all about it.' He looks at it for a moment and wraps it in its' cloth, which had been beneath it. 'I wonder...who took you?' He slings it over his shoulder remembering that after telling the girls, he'd gone back to bury him, but the body was gone.  
  
Ten minutes later his foot snags. "Huh? There it is!" He has a spark in his voice. Seeing his old coat again makes him think of Rem, which always makes him happy. 'Just a little worse for wear.' As he examines several bullet holes. 'Just two things left.'  
  
Fifteen minutes later 'I'm getting closer to them. Hunh?' He's come across the body of the woman. 'Oh god.' He kneels down beside her. 'She's alive? Hunh?' He finally notices his "siblings" in the sand beneath her. He holsters them, wraps her in the brown tarp and with great effort of balance lifts up the girl and begins his trek back to the jeep.  
  
"There he is Meryl!"  
  
"Hum? Oh good, I was starting to worry. Milly, is it me, or is he carrying someone?"  
  
He pulls open the backseat door. "Take her." Milly complies and with some help from Meryl they settle her in the back. Vash goes and puts his coat and the Punisher cross in the trunk.  
  
Getting in the driver's seat, he passes back a canteen of water. "We need to get to December as fast as possible. She's hurt badly." He starts the engine and drives as fast as the car will go. Unfortunately the nearest hospital was in the city of December almost 400 Iles away, so the orphanage would have to do.  
  
The storm has subsided. They pass over a dune and through the heat, they see a tall stone building etched in the wall of a small cliff slowly come into view. The jeep pulls up to the door as a frail and very old priest steps onto the porch. Vash exits the jeep and retrieves the wounded girl from the back.  
  
"Hello there strangers, what can I do for you?" A young boy pears out from behind the priest.  
  
"Do you have medical supplies? This women's hurt, and needs immediate attention." The priest steps out of Vash's way carefully looking over the girl as he passes.  
  
"Thomas go get the emergency medical kit, a bottle of wine from the cellar and put water on to boil." The young boy wastes no time in carrying out his orders and disappears down a hallway. The Father moves to the center of the chapel floor where Vash has set the woman. "My goodness, she's been torn apart by some wild animal." He begins to look over her wounds as Vash rolls back his sleeves.  
  
"Not just one, the bite marks aren't the same. She was attacked by at least three animals. The wound on her side and leg are different sizes than this one." He refers to the largest of the wounds located on her shoulder. The boy enters with the wine and a box full of medical supplies.  
  
"Otis is watching the water father." He says setting the box down and stepping away. He looks at Milly and Meryl who are standing by the door. "You can sit down you know." He points to the bench at the wall next to the door. They look at it for a moment, then reluctantly seat themselves. They both want to help, but as neither one of them has much medical knowledge besides the proper application of a Band-Aid, they really have no idea what to do. A younger boy enters, whispering something to Thomas. They then disappear and Thomas returns a short time later with a basin full of hot water and a few rags. He lays it next to the medical box. All the while Vash and the priest have been carefully cutting away the woman's clothes to better access her wounds.  
  
After several grueling hours of work on both their parts, the wounded woman is now fairly clean of blood and well stitched up.  
  
"There! The scarring should be fairly minimal. You are a skilled surgeon young man." He says gently touching Vash's shoulder.  
  
"You're not too bad yourself. I'm Vash by the way." He stretches out his hand.  
  
"Father Baldwin. A pleasure to meet you." They shake hands. "She'll need proper clothes. Thomas go into the hall closet and fetch something of suitable size, please." With that the boy was gone again. "And you two ladies are?" He looks toward the girls.  
  
"I'm Milly Thompson." She waves happily.  
  
"Meryl Stryfe."  
  
"Well you needn't worry about your friend she'll be just fine."  
  
"Oh, we don't know her." Says Milly.  
  
"We found her on our way here." Father Baldwin looks surprised.  
  
"My goodness, and you didn't see anything that might have done this to her?" Everyone shrugs. "Very strange, I find it hard to believe anyone could go far in such a condition. It's very lucky you found her. She'd never have survived like that for long." The boy returns and the woman is soon dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white button down shirt. Vash lifts her up in his arms, as Meryl looks on with a kind of envy. "This way to the spare rooms." The priest turns down another hall, Vash following close behind.  
  
Once out of sight. "Oh my gosh Meryl!"  
  
"What is it Milly?"  
  
"We forgot all about Mr. Knives, he's still in the jeep."  
  
"It's ok Milly, it's not like he'll notice. I'll go tell Vash."  
  
"No Meryl, that poor women is what he need to concern himself with right now. I'll go out and get him."  
  
"Are you sure about that Milly?" She looks worried.  
  
"It'll be alright Meryl. Don't worry, I can handle it." She exits the building.  
  
Elsewhere, the body of the woman is set on a bed in a small room. The only furnishings are a bed, a nightstand, a chair in the far corner, and a small wooden cross which hangs over the bed. After setting her down Vash notices her choker for the first time. "Laina, huh?"  
  
"Umm" her eyes open half way.  
  
"Hey, you're awake! Don't worry you're safe. So try to get some rest." he assures her with a smile.  
  
Meanwhile back in the main hall, "Meryl could you come help me, he's sort of heavy." Milly calls.  
  
Meryl looks sort of scared at the thought. "What am I doing?" She shakes her head. "What am I so afraid of? If Milly can do this so can I." With that she walks out the door, determination covering her face.  
  
Vash is sitting on the bed next to Laina, carefully pulling the covers around her. The priest is gently dabbing her forehead with a wet cloth. "There's nothing for you to worry about young lady."  
  
"Mr. Vash?" Comes Milly's voice from the other side of the door.  
  
He gets up and opens the door. There is Milly, feet dangling, white faced, a hand grasping the back of her throat. Vash pales as a cold voice rises "Hello brother."  
  
Next: Knives is back and he's not happy. But can Vash do anything about it? Does he even have a chance this time? What happened to Meryl? Is Milly ok? And who is this strange woman?  
  
Find out next time in Part two: Unknown Variable  
  
(A/N) Wow, that was long. So, what do you think? Be honest. Flame me if you feel the need. I could use the heat in this freezing cold room of mine. *Because if you expect me to update any time in the near future then REVIEW!* A lack of feed back does not inspire Neko Suzu to emerge. And unfortunately she's the one that comes up with stuff, not me. 


	3. Unknown Variable

(A/N) Neko Suzu walks out "Hey there!" waves. "I have something you should listen to." Pulls out a small tape recorder and pushes play button.  
  
(Recording) "We at Neko Suzu Inc. care about the opinions of our readers. Should you have any comments, questions, or suggestions please don't hesitate to let us to let us know. Just leave a review and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day. (End of recording.)  
  
Neko Suzu grins and brings out a giant bell. "On with the show!" *JINGLE*  
  
Disclaimer: a) I do not, nor will I ever own Trigun (despite great hopes) and its characters. b) I do not make any money off of this. I don't have any either.  
  
*I do however own certain characters and places. All of which should be blatantly obvious.*  
  
Redemption  
  
By Neko Suzu  
  
Edited by Medatsu  
(From: MediaMiner.org)  
  
Part 2: Unknown Variable  
  
Vash freezes, horror coursing through him. 'Oh no. It can't be.'  
  
"Oh, but it can Vash." Knives peers evilly at him from behind the stunned Milly. When their eyes connect Vash wakes up, his hand going directly to his gun. Though eye contact is never broken, Knives anticipates this move, and reacts by throwing Milly at him. Vash instinctively catches her. Knives, using this moment of unbalance to his advantage, lunges forward regaining his black colt. Vash quickly rests Milly on the floor, turning to his brother, gun half drawn *Bang*.  
  
The bullet strikes him in the right shoulder, just below the collarbone. Gritting his teeth, Vash raises his gun. Too late! Knives' grabs his brother's real arm pulling him forward, grabbing the silver colt and tripping Vash as he goes. *Thud*  
  
"Ah!" he slams hard into the wall. He releases his cyber gun *Bang* his other shoulder begins to bleed, his left arm dropping to his lap.  
  
Knives is now in possession of both the black and silver colts. "Vash, why do you bother with this garbage? So pathetic." He sneers at the Father, now sitting on the floor, rosary in hand, praying. His eyes fall upon the wounded Laina, who is breathing heavily. "You continue to try and save such worthless creatures. You really need to learn your lesson." Turning around he looks into Vash's eyes. "The invalid first I think, I'll save your friends for last." Standing at the end of the bed, the light begins to fill the room, as his Angel arm begins to form.  
  
"Knives!" Vash shouts, but to no avail.  
  
Yellow eyes snap open. *Crash**Thunk**Crack* ...It happened so fast none of them saw it. But there, on the other side of the room, is the woman. Her yellow eyes are wide, her teeth bared, and a low growling noise is filling the air. Her left hand twists Knives' right arm while her right presses against his throat. His feet are dangling a foot from the floor. His breathing is slowing, as he gasps for air. *Thunk* the black colt drops to the floor, joining the silver. Her grip doesn't waver. As Knives begins to purple, Vash realizes she has no intention of letting go.  
  
"... Don't! Please..." Vash tries to call to her, but his thoughts drown his instincts. 'What if she does kill him. He couldn't hurt anyone else...But he's alive, I can't just watch my brother die!' "Please!" His voice is strong again, "Don't kill him! Ugh..." he props himself up "Laina, Please!" At the sound of her name her hard eyes soften as she is brought back to reality. It takes only a second for her to realize what she is doing, and instantly release Knives. He falls to the floor, still breathing... unconscious, but breathing.  
  
She moves back several steps; both frightened and surprised at herself. Her eyes remain focused on Knives. Silence fills the air, no one moves, all are barely breathing. Father Baldwin and Vash can only stare at the marvel they've just seen. As far as both men were concerned, she should have barley been able to move, let alone stand.  
  
"Hunh" she wavers, her wounds reminding her of the true state of her body. Then she too surrenders to the floor, unconscious once again.  
  
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Hour's later; Vash sits alone in the chapel, wounds bandaged beneath his clothes. 'How could I let this happen?' he thinks. 'I can't believe I brought him hear. Meryl was right. It's all my fault, if I'd only listened she and Milly wouldn't have gotten hurt.' Overwhelmed by guilt he begins to cry. 'What am I supposed to do? Knives isn't going to change, no matter what I do. He'll just keep hating and killing till there's no one left.' Footsteps sound down the hall. Quickly he wipes away the tears.  
  
"Well young man your friends are resting. And your brother, is it? Is still unconscious, like the young lady." He notices several tears Vash had missed with his sleeve. "Hmm." he brightens his voice "Come with me to the kitchen. You look like you could use some coffee, and I believe we have some apple pie." He set a gentle hand on Vash's back, and looks at him with a soft smile.  
  
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Hot coffee pours into a mug. "What's on your mind?"  
  
"Huh?" Vash looks questioningly at him.  
  
"Young man I've been around for a while, and as a priest I've seen many people with problems. To put it plainly, I can spot a guilty conscience an ile away." He looks him in the eyes. "And yours looks about as bad as they come." He placed a slice of pie in front of Vash. "However, it is none of my business. But I do know that talking is the first step to solving most problems." He slices himself a piece of pie and sits across from Vash.  
  
Vash looks at his reflection in the liquid. "It's a long story. Which is more than a little hard to believe."  
  
"Young man all stories have unbelievable moments that not everyone can hope to understand, but I can try. Besides I have all the time in the world for a troubled soul." Vash hesitates, weighing the pros and cons. He wanted to get it out, but what would be this man's reaction; after all he really didn't need any more enemies. In the end emotions won, but he thought it best to leave out the details. He began with their childhood, (space ships excluded), he then moved on to his brother's ideals and his own, their confrontations and their distance. Ending with their showdown which had left Knives unconscious and bedridden for months.  
  
Father Baldwin sits silently for a few moments digesting all this interesting information, while a black cat finishes off the remainder of his apple pie. It lets out a tiny "Niya!" and jumps off the table.  
  
Shortly afterwards the Father takes a deep breath, sighs and looks Vash square in the face. "Young man you are far too hard on yourself. You can't blame yourself for the path your brother chooses. I'll admit he needs help, but you've tried. That is all you or anyone else can expect of you. After all you're only human."  
  
"Right."  
  
"What's more you were concerned with others at the time. Which appears to be a pattern. After all with your reputation you wouldn't have gotten all those scars if you didn't care about the well-being of others, Mr. Stamped." Vash starts at him. He had said nothing about his criminal record or title at all. "No need to worry" he holds up a reassuring hand. "I have no intention of turning you over to the authorities. You have the confidence of Nicholas and that is reason enough for me to trust you."  
  
"How...how did you...?" Vash is still in awe.  
  
"About your scars or your title?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"Simple, I hung back a bit in case you changed your mind about allowing me to assist you with your wounds. I must say, I was taken a little aback at first." He looks up thoughtfully. "As for who you are, I was suspicious when you told me your name." Vash suddenly realizes that he had been using his real name. All that time in L.R. he hadn't needed his alias. "And it was confirmed not only by your movements in a rather dangerous situation, but by your contact with Nicholas." He points a wrinkled finger at Vash "I may seem like a doddering old man, but I do know how put two and two together." He Notices Vash's quizzical look, "After all Nicholas' nature and methods in life would lead him to a person such as yourself. He was good man, but he did tend toward a very rough life. In that he was bound to end up running into you."  
  
There is a brief moment of silence as Vash digests the fact that he underestimated Father Baldwin, while the Father thinks about what to say next.  
  
"...Um, Father?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why did Wolfwood leave? He always talked fondly of this place."  
  
"Yes, well, he did love it here. And the children cared for him a great deal. But circumstances can lead anyone on a path they didn't want nor choose. He unfortunately was met with such circumstances. However, I think there was more to it than that. There was something that he needed to discover for himself. Something that he felt he could only find in his way of life. And I only hope he found what he was looking for." He glances at his rosary "but enough about that. Tell me more about your brother, and perhaps we may yet find way to help him." The two talked. Father Baldwin listened tentatively absorbing all he could, occasionally asking questions and making suggestions. After about nine hours the suns begin to rise.  
  
"My goodness, time does fly." The father slowly rises to his feet. "The children will be up in a few hours. So we had best get some sleep."  
  
"I'm sorry I kept you up so late."  
  
"Goodness me, do you always beat yourself up like this over such insignificant details?" he looked at him sternly. "The world is not dependent on you. You are not responsible for the lives of everyone. You need to learn that this world and its inhabitants are big and ugly enough to look after themselves. Sure, on occasion they need a push in the right direction, but they don't all need it from you and you alone. I wouldn't have offered if sleep were what was important to me. You act as though my life depends on sleep. If that were true I'd have died a very long time ago."  
  
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The days pass slowly, at the December orphanage, as Vash grows accustomed to their way of life. He spends a great deal of time with the children, learning all 67 names in less than three days. The children love him, especially the youngest ones, spending as much time as they can around him. Helping him with things in the garden, hanging the laundry, and many even volunteer to help him look after his friends. Their attentions give Vash a new sense of home, easing his guilt and at times letting him forget it, but his duties to his friends reinforce the felling. And although Milly and Meryl weren't permanently damaged, they had suffered severe shock to the system. Soon a week past and both of them remained unconscious. Though on occasion Vash would allow the children to help him look after Milly and Meryl, he refused to even entertain the thought of having them go near Knives. As for the girl, Laina, a fever had set in, and he didn't think it best to expose already infected wounds to more bacteria than necessary. There was something else though; he wasn't sure what it was. He had felt something coming from her when she attacked Knives, something dangerous, almost vicious.  
  
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Bright light floods the stone window, eyes twitch under its warmth. Slowly they open, greeting the morning. Memories rush in and she sits up fast with fear. Much to her displeasure, a massive headache lodges its complaint about the motion.  
  
"Ooh..."  
  
"Meryl! You're awake!" Vash comes rushing in.  
  
"Not so loud." She scolds holding her throbbing head.  
  
He kneels by the bed, a huge smile covering his face. She turns her head to look at him. She can't help but smile back. They stay that way for a moment. Then her memories dawn on her once again. She lunges forward grabbing hold of the collar of his shirt. "Vash what happened to Milly?! Where is she?! Did he hurt her?!"  
  
"Whoa Meryl. Calm down. Milly will be alright, she was just in shock like you."  
  
"But she looked so awful, how can she be alright?" she recalls the way Milly dangled form Knives' grasp, looking as though she were dead.  
  
"It was mind control. The shock to her system was bad, but she should be ok."  
  
" 'Should be' Vash. I don't like sound of that." She looks in his eyes and can tell he has no idea how to help Milly. She knew that Vash wasn't as proficient as Knives in his plant abilities. And although she knows it isn't his fault, she can't help but blame him for it. Her silence is deafening to him. Threatening to engulf what little peace he had found in the last week. He'd learned long ago how to read peoples emotions, he can tell. He doesn't want to start crying in front of her, so he turns to leave, and there in the doorway is Milly.  
  
"Hi" She has a chipper smile on her face and a little black haired girl in her arms.  
  
"Milly!!" They say simultaneously.  
  
"You both look so worried."  
  
Meryl gets up and hugs Milly. "I was worried. I thought you were dead."  
  
"Don't be silly Meryl it'll take more than that to stop me."  
  
"Hey! You're squishing me!" Comes a small voice. Both look down at a pair of big brown eyes.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry." Meryl smiles apologetically. "What's your name?"  
  
"Cyan. And I'm four." She says holding up the appropriate number of digits.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Cyan. I'm Meryl." She smiles.  
  
"Mr. Vash?" Cyan looks shyly at him. He smiles at her with a nod. "Since two of your friends are better now, does that mean you'll have more time to play?"  
  
"I guess so." Suddenly her little face beams with happiness.  
  
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Hours later... They are all sitting in the old chapel, which doubles as a reception room. "Well I'm glad to see that both of you are alright." Father Baldwin had examined them thoroughly upon finding out they were awake. "Now all that's left is the young man and the other young lady." Being so cheerful he didn't notice Meryl and Milly wince when he mentioned Knives. "I'll make us some hot coffee and tea. We can even try some of the children's lovely baking." With a pleasant air he disappeared down the hall.  
  
All three of them are quiet, each equally afraid to voice the question on all of their minds. Meryl finally finds the words, "So, what do you intend to do?" She looks into her hands; afraid of the answer he might give her.  
  
"I'm not sure. I guess the best thing would be for me to take him as far away from populated areas as possible. Maybe, there he might be easier to control."  
  
That's what she was afraid of, that he would go off and she'd never see him again, but she knew there was no other way. She didn't want to see any more people get hurt because of Knives. "What about you?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You're a people person Vash, you can't deny it. Going out there all alone, ... you won't be you anymore."  
  
"Though I hate to admit it, sometimes the lesser of two evils is the only choice. As long as no one else has to die because of him, I'll..." She could tell it would destroy him. Still she couldn't think of a decent argument.  
  
"Here we are!....?" Father Baldwin comes in carrying a tray of delicious things. When he notices all the gloomy faces he opens his mouth to ask what's wrong, but is interrupted by *Knock* *Knock* He sets the tray down and moves to the massive oak doors. "Yes? Oh, hello Bernard, what can I do for you?" He steps aside allowing an average height red-haired man with a mustache and a sheriff's uniform on to enter the substantial room.  
  
" 'ello father. How 'ave you been?" His voice was ragged, but genuine in warmth.  
  
"Fine, fine. Is Martha well?"  
  
"Oh yeah. She wanted me ter say 'ello for her. She also sent you a sponge cake." He hands the father a square box that has a bit of orange ribbon tied around it.  
  
"Lovely! I do adore Martha's cooking." He takes the box graciously. From both their manners it was obvious the two had known each other for some time, but the sheriff gave the impression that he was talking to a father figure. "We were about to have some coffee and tea, do join us."  
  
" 'fraid I can't to day. I'm here on business."  
  
The Father cocks his head to one side. "Oh? What about?"  
  
"You know that scientist that came through last month? The one with them animals to show the children?"  
  
"Oh yes. He was teaching the children about proper care of wildlife. What was his name? Oh yes a Mr. Orlend wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah dat's him. Do ya recall anything about his visit? Maybe 'e said somethin' about where 'e was 'eaded next? Or was 'e actin' strange at all?"  
  
"Well, he did say something about studying a new area where they had been hearing rumors about strange animal sightings. As to his mannerisms, he seemed perfectly normal to me. Why, if I may, do you ask?"  
  
"He's missin'. They say he never arrived in May to drop off the animals. And according to the information we have you and the kids were the last people to 'ave seen him."  
  
"Oh my. I hope nothing happened to the poor man." He cast his eyes down in a brief silent prayer. Then the sheriffs last sentence registers. "Surely you don't think an old man and a bunch of children are responsible do you?"  
  
"Ha! Father you worry too much, no man that knows you would ever consider accusing you of such a thing. I'm just doing my job. I best get going now, Martha's already furious for me bother'n you. Bye."  
  
The father hangs his head. "That poor man."  
  
After coffee Father Baldwin leaves to say his prayers for the lost man. The three friends sit in silence once again.  
  
"I'd better go check on Knives and get ready to leave." Vash exits solemnly.  
  
"Oh Milly! We can't just let him do this!"  
  
"I know Meryl, but what can we do?"  
  
A harsh holler rings through the stone building "KNIVES!!?!!" Vash comes into the chapel, as both girls go white with fear.  
  
"Vash?!" the girls say together.  
  
"He's gone. The ropes are there, I don't know how he got out of them."  
  
"I'll get my derringers."  
  
"I'll need my stun gun." Both girls get up.  
  
"No! I don't know where he is. You need to stick with me." The girls oblige and follow him down the main corridor. They move slowly down the hall checking every room. Soon they entered the Kitchen. Vash is looking down the cellar stairs.  
  
"Vash?" Meryl whispers.  
  
"Yeah?" He turns to look at her, and notices that she's looking at the kitchen door hanging wide open. From there he can see a dark figure standing in the desert moonlight. "Stay here." he says quietly moving toward the door. He steps out onto the porch. "Knives!" he calls out. The figure perks up at the address, and slowly turns to face him.  
  
Knives has a questioning look on his face that verges on innocence. His eyes aren't hard but soft.  
  
"Hello" His tone is equally soft, "Who are you?"  
  
Next: Why is Knives not himself? Has he really lost his memory? They say a sharp blow to the head can do that. But what does that mean for the brothers? And we still don't know who that strange woman is!  
  
Find out next time in Part Three: A Terrible Thing to Lose  
  
(A/N) "Now we're starting to get the interesting stuff. And yes, you will eventually find out who Laina is. "  
  
"So, if you expect me to update any time soon please Read & then Review. (Ok, I'll even accept Review & then Read.) O.o" 


	4. A Terrible Thing to Lose

**(A/N) **Hey there! Sorry you had to wait so long for this, but I've only just finished settling in after moving back to Canada. Anyway, the wait is over!

Let the chapter begin! **Jingle**

**Disclaimer:** a) I do not, nor will I ever own Trigun (despite great hopes) and its characters. b) I do not make any money off of this. I don't have any either.

I do however own certain characters and places. All of which should be blatantly obvious.

**Redemption**

By Neko Suzu

Edited by...(In dire need of a Beta)

I need a Beta!

**Part 3:** A Terrible Thing to Lose

Everyone is sitting in the chapel. Milly and Meryl are seated furthest from Knives and looking unsure of the situation. Vash wears his sunglasses in an attempt to hiding his confusion and doubt. While Father Baldwin carefully examines Knives.

"So, you can't remember a thing?" Asks father Baldwin.

"Not exactly." His voice is calm. "If I didn't remember anything I'd be unable to function properly. I can recall general information, from books and such. However my name, my life and who all of you are, is lost on me." He gestures around the room.

"Interesting." The Father is looking intently at the back of his head. "Tell me Knives, is there any tenderness when I press here." He applies pressure to the back of Knives' skull.

"Owe!" he quickly moves his head away.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"So what's the diagnosis?" Vash asks.

"Well, often memory loss is associated with sharp blows to the head. More than likely when our other guest defended herself, his head connected rather hard with the wall. And based on the structural integrity of the human skull compared to solid rock, well, let's just say the wall won." He sits down.

"So your saying his memory is toast."

"No, not entirely. The fact that he still can remember his ABC's would suggest only partial damage, or selective memory loss. With that comes the possibility for its' retrieval. Familiar things would likely jog his memory."

"Knives..." everyone looks at him "...what a strange name." He is lost in his thoughts, pondering the life he can no longer remember. Silence fills the room, every one of them forming their own opinions about this new development. The slight movement of Knives head toward a nearby hall then breaks the thick stillness of the room. They follow his gaze, and see a foot slowly emerge, followed by a bandaged leg. The girl Laina is slowly making her way into the room. She has her right had on the wall for support. She moves softly and quietly, stepping gently on the balls of her feet before putting the whole foot down. It seems as if she is testing the floor, afraid it is not quite as solid as it seems. Once fully visible, she lowers her hand, allowing it to rest at her side. She then rotates her hips, torso and head toward the group. Her eyes quickly, but thoroughly study each of them in turn.

"Hello." Her voice is barley audible.

"Good to see you up and about young lady." The Father moves toward her a friendly smile on his face. As he does this Laina shifts her weight onto her back foot leaning slightly away from him, carefully eyeing him up. Vash and Knives seem to be the only ones who notice this.

"Come, sit down you shouldn't strain yourself with too much activity. You've been through quiet a lot." He gestures with his right arm toward an empty chair, placing his left out for her to take. She gently grips it with her right allowing him to lead the way.

"Thank you." she says settling into the chair.

"I must say I'm quiet amazed and glad to see you up and about so soon. You were hurt rather badly I'm afraid. I was worried you would have difficulty getting back on your feet again." He is crouched in front of her, a look of concern covering his aged features.

"What happened?"

"You can't remember?"

"No...Not really. It's all so fuzzy." She covers her face with her right hand. "I remember it was late and I was running away from something. But I can't remember what." She shakes her head slightly as if hoping to defog the shadowed memory.

"Oh dear. Can you remember who you are? Where you're from? What year it is?"

"My name is Laina..." She closes her eyes in concentration. "My last name starts with a C or maybe a K. I'm not sure. I remember a small town, with maybe thirty people. I can't remember any names, but I can see most of their faces. I think the year is star date 0133."

"Well, don't stress over it too much. It's probably just a side effect of what happened. I sure you'll remember soon enough." He gives her a reassuring smile. "I'll also need to inspect you wounds later and see how you're coping with the infection."

"I don't mean to be rude but, could you tell me where I am? Not to mention who you are?"

"Oh, dear me I'd forgotten to mention that. Please forgive me. I am Father Baldwin, this is Vash, Milly, Meryl, and Knives." He gestures toward each of them as he speaks their names. "And we are about 400 iles outside the city of December."

** Thump Thump** She stands alone, the darkness around her is consuming, the air dank and heavy. **Grrrrrrrr Thump Thump** The darkness moves quickly striking out at the lone figure. Teeth gnash, flesh tares, blood flies, bones crack, and death screams.

Laina sits up fast, her body laced with sweat. Breathing heavily, she places her hand over her racing heart. She glances around the room at every shadow, searching for the unknown threat. She gets out of the bed and moves to the door. Stepping out into the dark hall she moves quickly and silently into the chapel. Still clutching her racing heart and lost in her thoughts she carelessly disregards her surroundings, never noticing the lonely figure sitting in the shadows. Once across the room she wrenches open the oak doors stepping out onto the porch, where she leans her shaking body on the wooden railing.

Inside the darkness shifts, draping the lone figure in moonlight. He contemplates leaving her alone, thinking of trying to sleep once again. But he's curious, he knows so little of such an odd woman. He moves slowly toward the open doors, peering out into the night.

She stands so still gazing into the moon lit sky. Eyes shining in the light, sleek black hair shimmering in the night, body posed with grace...The very image of serenity.

'Beautiful' a single thought, just enough to compel a body into action. He moves forward on nothing more than impulse to understand what has been set before him. A need to know...**Creeeeeek** Her head snaps back. He freezes as her luminous eyes bore into him. After a moment that seems like ages she shifts back.

"Hello Knives." Her tone is even and emotionless, giving nothing to him. He is at loss, should he go or should he stay. Is he welcome or unwanted? He searches through his mind, looking for some common thread to grasp, and in that late night world he finds it.

"You couldn't sleep?" He says adopting a more casual position.

"No."

"Me neither. There's just too much to contemplate when you can't remember who you are." With every word she seems to become more accustomed to his presence, her rigid composure becoming more and more relaxed.

"I suppose so." She turns around sitting on the rail. Taking this as an invitation, he goes and sits down next to her.

"Though, I'd say by the way came out here, that that's not what's keeping you awake." It's only a statement. From what had occurred between them in the last few minutes he could tell she was an introvert and he didn't want to push.

She softly sighs. "Not really."

"Care to share?"

"It's sort of silly."

"Doesn't matter."

"It was a nightmare."

He mentally raises an eyebrow. "What about?"

"I'm not exactly sure. But I think it maybe about when I was attacked."

"So, you've found your answer to what happened to you then?"

"I don't know, the memory is slowly fading away. Now, all I can remember is pain and fear."

"Well there's no doubt that what happened to you must have been horrible. Your wounds alone are evidence enough of that." He gestures slightly toward the large bandage on her right thigh. "But why worry about it. You're safe now. With people who want to help you and won't allow you to come to harm."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

** Knock Knock**

"Hmm" Laina rolls over in bed.

"Miss Laina?" Comes Milly's voice from the other side of the door.

'I guess I better get up.' She thinks. Sitting up in the bed she calls back. "Yes Milly?"

"The Father and Mr. Vash asked me to help you change your bandages this morning." Laina opens the door. "Oh, and I have a change of clothes for you. Were going into town to do some shopping and The Father thought it would be good if you went with us." She smiles brightly as always.

"Alright." Laina sits back down on the bed. Milly moves the wooden chair over setting the medical supplies on it and draping the clothes over the back.

"Milly." Comes Meryl's voice "Can you come here a sec.?"

"Ok Meryl." Milly calls back. She turns to Laina. "I'll be back in a minute."

"I'll get started."

"Ok." Milly Disappears around the corner.

Laina rummages inside the box. She pulls out a pair metal scissors, and putting them to the bandage on her thigh she snips it free. Setting down the scissors she begins to roll the bandage back. Setting aside the dirty bandage. She carefully pulls back the bloodied dressing.

"Oh God."

"Ok I'm back!" Chirps Milly. She stops smiling when she sees Laina nervous expression.

"Um, you know Milly I think I can look after this myself." She gives a shaky smile.

"Are you sure, because-"

"I'll be fine." Laina says cutting her off.

"O...Ok." says Milly not too sure about this.

"Thanks." Calls Laina as Milly closes the door behind her.

Turning back to the dressing she pulls it away once again. 'How is this possible?' The sizable wound that was there only yesterday, a wound that should have taken near a month to heal is now nothing more than a small amount of scar tissue.

"Milly I thought you were helping Laina." Meryl says.

"I was going to but she decided to do it herself."

"That's odd. She certainly didn't seem like the unremitting type."

"I don't think it's that Meryl. She probably just shy." Meryl shrugs.

The Tarp covered Jeep comes speeding over a large sand dune "AAAAAAHHHH!" **THUD **The Jeep hits the ground and speeds on ward.

"JESUS CHRIST VASH!! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Meryl screams. "SLOW DOWN DAMNIT!!"

"Sheesh! First you're mad 'cause I'm driving to slow, now your mad 'cause I'm driving to fast. Make up your mind already!" He whines.

"That's because you were only driving a hundred! I actually want to get to December some time during this century!"

"Yeah, and now I'm doing two hundred miss impatient! So what's the problem?"

"If you screw up your gonna kill us!"

"Then stop distracting me and let me drive!"

"Why you!" The two continue to bicker in the front.

Meanwhile in the back...

"Uh oh. Miss Laina are you alright?" A concerned Milly asks seeing how pale Laina has become. At the question Knives who is reclined trying to block out the bickering opens his eyes.

"I don't think so." She says quietly.

"You probably have motion sickness." Knives gently takes her left hand, "Apply pressure her," he points to an area just below her wrist. "Put your head between your legs and close your eyes."

"Ok" she follows his instructions. He then places his hand on her back and begins to rub in circles.

"Breathe deeply and slowly." He says in a comforting tone. Then turning his attention to the two still bickering in the front, "Sorry to interrupt." He says firmly and the two stop. "But unless you want a mess back here, I would suggest you drive at a more comfortable speed Vash. Say maybe a hundred and fifty."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Vash is completely dumfounded. 'Is Knives actually being nice to someone? Is that concern in his eyes real? Or is this all some elaborate ruse?' Vash wonders.

Some time later... The Jeep rolls into the city of December. It stops in front of a large building labeled with a sign that reads "Stargazer: Bar & Grill". Everyone exits the Jeep and stretches their aching muscles.

"Well we made it!" Vash is dressed in blue jeans and a white button down shirt.

"I'm amazed we're all still in one piece." Meryl has on gray Capri pants and a purple long sleeved shirt with a Sand Racers logo on the front.

"Now I can buy pudding!" Milly is wearing kacky overalls and a three-quarter-sleeve turquoise shirt with a matching headscarf.

"Which way do we go to get to the market?" Knives has on a pair of white jeans and a deep-blue button down shirt.

"Judging by the noise I'd says it's that way." Laina points down a side street directly across from the bar. She is dressed in a pair of fairly loose black pants and button down shirt. All the clothing she has on belongs to Milly, and although they are a little too big for her they can't hide her shapely frame.

"Shall we?" Knives asks addressing everyone.

They go down the side street following Laina's directions. They pass through several allies following the ever-growing noise of the market. They pass stuffed garbage cans and gratified walls, running into the occasional stray animal. One particular black cat lets out a loud "Niyaaaaa" as they pass by. Coming to the end of an exceptionally long ally they reach the open market. The city's main street is lined on both sides with little stalls. The road is loaded with people buying and selling the wide variety of wares.

"Wow! Look at all this stuff!" Milly giggles with delight. They begin to move out into the crowd each one of them setting out with their lists of needed supplies. Meryl and Milly had been paired together, Vash was going on his own, and Knives had offered to help Laina get around. Laina hesitates out of nervousness; there are just so many people. From the ally behind her comes a deep growling noise from a large stray dog, looking ready to kill. She shifts her body and glares deeply into the animal's eyes. It lets out a yelp, and whining pathetically backs off into the shadows.

"Are you coming?" Knives calls.

"Yes." She calls back walking out of the ally giving no second thoughts to the stray animal.

Several hours later Meryl and Milly have arrive back at the Jeep, their groceries in hand.

"Where are they? Didn't Vash say we'd meet here at five?" Meryl asks.

"Don't worry Meryl, they'll be here soon." Milly reassures, "Hey Ms. Laina, Mr. Knives!" She waves at the duo as they walk out of the side street.

"Did you find everything?" Knives asks placing his their bags in the back of the Jeep.

"Yep! We even found my pudding." Milly chirps.

"How about you?" Meryl inquires.

"Yes, we even had time left to look at a few other stalls on our way back." Laina states.

"Where's Vash?"

"We don't know." Meryl replies.

"He shouldn't be to long." Milly puts in.

After fifteen minutes of waiting...

"That idiot! He probably got lost. He is so going to get an ear full when he gets here." Meryl jumps off the hood of the car. "Come on lets go look for him."

"Why don't we give him a few more minutes?" Knives suggests.

"No way! He's kept us waiting for nearly twenty minutes! I'm not going to put up with this." Meryl rants, "If he thinks he can just-"

"Hey there!" Meryl whirls around to find a glowing Vash walking towards them.

"And just what are you so happy about?" Meryl asks icily.

"Oh, not much," He says looking into a large paper bag. "Want one?"

"Donuts! I should have know." Meryl says exasperatedly, throwing up her hands. "Do you have any idea how long you've kept us waiting you numbskull?!"

"Hey, I couldn't just leave these scrumptious cakes all alone!"

"Is food all you ever think about?!" Meryl continues to berate a now cowering Vash.

"She's awfully high strung isn't she?" Knives ask no one in particular.

"Just a little." Milly replies.

"What a wimp." Laina comments. "Perhaps we should save him?"

"It's really best not to get involved when they're like this." Milly says, "Lets go in and get a table." Knives and Laina nod their consent and the three of them enter the bar, leaving Meryl to drag Vash in by the ear.

Finding an empty table in the far corner of the bar the groups seats themselves waiting for acknowledgement from one of the waitresses. A few minutes later a girl in a dark brown dress comes over to them and takes their orders. After about twenty minutes of mindless chatter about the day their food arrives.

"Yes! The infamous mountain of pasta!" Vash gestures dramatically at the large mound in front of him. "It has never been conquered by mere mortal men, until today!" He points a fork and spoon threateningly at the mound.

"What the hell are you going on about now, Vash?" Meryl asks, her eyes blank.

"Oh, sorry just giving myself the pasta pep talk." Vash smiles then dives into his food. Everyone looks at him for a moment and then shaking their heads begin to eat their own food.

The next table over... "So the Cavalry is going to give a thousand double dollars per hide? That's a killing for doing some off hand hunting."

"Yeah, only problem is they have no idea where these things are, or even what they look like. It won't be as easy as it sounds. We still have to find out where to start."

"I think the two of you are nuts. These things have killed off over fifty people and no one knows what they look like. This is suicide! At least one of those people had to have been armed and they're all dead. All the people in those two towns are dead! I'm not going to throw my life away running after some phantom predator with ability to tear me limb from limb."

"Your scared, Ernie? That's something I never expected of you."

"It's not that, I just got a bad felling about this."

This short conversation grabbed the attention of most people around the table. The three men upon noticing they had an audience immediately left the bar.

"What was that all about?" Vash wonders.

"You mean you don't know stranger?" The waitress had returned with their drinks. "A lot of people have gone missing lately over near November. Two towns worth of people have been found dead. Torn apart and, and half eaten." Her voice quivered. "No one knows what's going on. The Cavalry has put a bounty out on the heads of any suspicious animals in and around November. It's been going on for nearly a month now. Not even the caravans are safe." She then walked off leaving an eerie silence at the table.

'I wonder if that has anything to do with me?' Laina wonders to herself staring into her soup.

Soon afterwards the tired group pile into the old Jeep and drive back to the orphanage under the dying light of the twin suns.

Deep in the desert night stretching out over the sand dunes only iles away from the city of November, dark masses of fur and fangs wonder towards an unsuspecting town. Minds consumed with thoughts of the kill and fresh meat. All fourteen fang laden jaws salivating with anticipation, as their newfound human buffet comes into view.

Farther off in the desert night, deep below the sandy earth a stressed and overtired Coronel Mannick looks over vague and disturbing reports.

"Damn it! Can this get any worse?" He questions.

"I'm afraid it can Coronel. We've discovered number twelve is no longer with the pack." Replies Dr. Pierce.

"WHAT?! That monster is on its' own some where?" The Coronel has a look of horror on his face. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, we haven't found anything to indicate the anomaly is still with the rest of the pack."

"This is bad." He rubs his eyes in exasperation, "We can't cover this up for much longer. The Cavalry already knows people are missing, it won't be long before they realize just how many." He sighs deeply rubbing his eyes. "Do we have an accurate count of the dead?"

"At present we've counted a hundred-sixty-seven dead and another twenty-one unaccounted for."

"God, it's barely been a month, how can they eat that many people?"

"Their not eating all of them, and not being hungry doesn't stop them from killing people. They were made to be killers remember?"

"We're in deep here. Is this everything the team has turned up?"

"Yes."

"Shit, were running in circles. We don't even know where they're headed."

"Actually Coronel, I took another look at their movements, and although I can't be sure, I have reason to believe that they're headed towards December."

"Well, at least it's a start. I'll have the team set up perimeter around the nearby towns. I just pray to God we find them before this gets anymore out of hand."

**Next:** Knives. At a young age we form patterns in our behavior that determine who we are. But if we cannot remember who we are, do our patterns change? Or can we change them to become someone new?

Find out next time in **Part Four:** The Simple Things

**(A/N)** Hey look! I didn't leave you with a nasty cliffhanger this time. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. And guess what! I'm half done this fic! Yes! Does a little happy dance!

**As always don't forget to leave a review.**

**Oh, and tell me how I did with the comic relief.**

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